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Monday, March 11, 2019

Review of The Silent Land by Graham Joyce

Extensive
cellars of the world’s best wines. Pristine slopes with no other
skiers, the lifts at your disposal. A hotel kitchen with an endless
supply of food that never spoils. The penthouse room available day
in and day out for sleeping and leisure. Paradise calls, such is the
tragedy of Graham Joyce’s touching 2010 The Silent Land.

British
couple Zoe and Jake have decided to splurge at a four-star French
hotel in the Alps, enjoying a week of skiing. Out on the slopes
early one morning to get the freshest powder, the unthinkable
happens, an avalanche. Jake lucky enough to find shelter among
trees, he hears Zoe’s cries, and helps her from the packed snow.
Arriving back in the village where their hotel is, however, the
couple notice something strange; all lights are on but there are no
people. Everything seemingly stuck in a time warp, the pair believe
they have been left behind in the aftermath of the avalanche, and
settle in to await contact with the outside world once again. At
first everything seems wonderful—they have the wine, food, and
slopes to themselves. But then they notice the lack of entropy. The
fire in the hearth burning endlessly, the two start to question their
situation...

Joyce
stringing the reader along an invisible line, The Silent Land
eventually gets to the bottom of Zoe and Jake’s situation, but not
before digging within the characters and presenting them whole and
honestly for the humans they are to the reader, and the experiences
which lead them to that point in time. Thus, while it’s satisfying
to have the couple’s situation explained in the final chapter, the
true impression of the book is derived from Zoe and Jake, their
marriage, and their individual histories. Given said explanation,
it’s likewise quite fair to view the whole experience as a
metaphor—for what, I cannot say as I do not want to spoil the
story. Suffice to say, the resolution is highly touching given how
intimately we have come to know the characters. Transcending the
plot devices in action, the reader walks away with a satisfying
milieu of positive and negative emotions.

Thus,
if The Silent Land is anything, it is aware. Throughout the
story Joyce remains cognizant of the fact its simple premise cannot
be excessively milked without the reader losing getting lost in the
mystery when the real focus is on the characters. Overall Zoe and
Jake’s story, or perhaps better stated ‘experience’, is
contained within a paucity of pages, meaning the emotional impact is
a result of focusing on the key points of character that drive
tension and momentum, rather than mundane worldbuilding or plotting.
One of those stories that just sticks in the brain for the people
whose lives we vicariously live inside, don’t be fooled by the
simple premise.